


Scratching An Itch

by Gaqalesqua



Series: Monthly Requests [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Fluff, Gen, LITERALLY, Werewolves, request
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 19:28:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16687570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaqalesqua/pseuds/Gaqalesqua
Summary: Request for redrocketwarrior over on tumblrMatsu has this problem where he keeps turning into a wolf. He’s just lucky his habit of bringing animals home works in his favour.





	Scratching An Itch

When he realised he’d been staring at the door for several minutes, Matsu decided it was time to put the gun down.

 _Really? Already? I spent, like, two hours outside yesterday,_ he thought, pulling off his t-shirt.

Didn’t matter. When the wolf needed it, the wolf needed out, and trying to bargain with it wasn’t going to work. He threw his shirt on a nearby chair and unbuckled his jeans as that familiar prickle began teasing the back of his neck. Kicking off his shoes, he hazarded a look out of the window. It was dark outside. Everyone was out by the bar, giving Matsu a clear path out of his house. Excellent. He threw the rest of his clothes on the chair and pushed open the door, head swinging around to get a good look up and down the street.

Still clear.

The cool air rolled over him as he slipped out the front door, closing it behind him. One more check.

And then he was gone, rushing across the road like a blur, already feeling the itch of fur as it pushed past his skin. The wind ruffled through his hair, gaze sharpening as the world focused. He _really_ missed the eyesight he had as a wolf whenever he was in his human form. On the other hand, the limited range of colour _wasn’t_ something he enjoyed.

The first couple times he’d done this, he’d shredded his clothes. He was lucky road leathers were easy to come by in the wastes, but he’d learned his lesson. It _did_ add the extra problem of having to make sure he wasn’t streaking, but…

Well, that really didn’t bother Matsu.

He dived over the wall, briefly airborne, and his body splashed into the cold water below. His limbs splayed out, and he swum deeper as he grew, body twisting and shifting into his wolfish shape. The incessant itching filled him for a few moments, and then he stilled, floating in the water. He let the cold soothe the urgent need to scratch at the fur covering him, until his lungs began to protest. His muzzle broke the surface, and he gasped in air, paddling towards the other side of the riverbank.

The werewolf stretched, shaking out his fur. A cool wind ruffled the wet wolf, but he didn’t feel it. Drops of water showered the dirt as he dried himself off, his tail wagging as he looked around, sniffing. Maybe he could head to Red Rocket, run a few laps around it, then go kill some molerats in the cave underneath. Or chase a Radstag? That might be fun!

His ears pricked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, and he whirled around, nose catching the scent of ozone, clean clothes, a tang of sweat, and _friend._ His eyes found Preston Garvey a few feet away, the man’s weapon raised cautiously at the wolf. For a moment, they gazed at each other. Matsu took a careful step forward. Preston withdrew just a little. Matsu whined, his head tilting. The Minuteman paused, squinting suspiciously at the wolf, and Matsu went a little closer. Preston didn’t move this time, though his grip tightened on his musket.

“Well…you don’t _look_ like you’re gonna bite,” Preston muttered. Matsu yipped, his tongue hanging out, and he padded over to the man. Preston froze for a moment, and it was only when Matsu’s nose nudged him that he relaxed. A cautious hand raised to the top of Matsu’s head. The werewolf butted the palm, and Preston let out a noise of interest. “Okay, you’re a friendly.”

Preston’s fingers scratched behind the wolf’s ears and immediately a satisfied shudder ran through the werewolf, a pleased yip leaving him as the much-welcomed scratches made his tail wag. He rubbed his head into the touches.

“Where’d you come from?” Preston asked, kneeling down. The werewolf stepped closer, placing his muzzle on Preston’s shoulder and practically sitting in his lap. “Woah!”

Matsu decided that he _really_ liked the smell of Friend on Preston. It was calming, and it made him feel good. His tail wagged furiously as the scratches made their way to his neck, and he set his butt down in the dirt, tail swishing back and forth across the grass.

“Guess you must be one of those pets Matsu likes to bring home,” Preston commented, a hand scratching below the wolf’s jaw. Matsu’s head tilted up, his eyes closing as a smile cross his wolfish face. Man, _nobody_ did this when he was a human. Obviously. But still! It felt so good! He whined appreciatively, and butted Preston gently.

“Biggest damn dog I ever saw,” Preston muttered, ruffling Matsu’s fur with both hands. “And _damn_ , you had to be wet, didn’t you? A big, wet, smelly dog that Matsu didn’t bother giving some kinda name tag?”

Matsu whuffed, nuzzling the Minuteman. Preston sighed, but Matsu could feel that he wasn’t cross. His head nudged Preston’s belly.

“Aww, c’mon,” the man protested. “You’re gonna soak me!”

Preston stood hurriedly, brushing the water from his wet coat and giving the wolf the most half-hearted glare that Matsu had ever seen. Matsu just let his tongue hang out, and Preston rolled his eyes, smiling.

“You just had to be a big, adorable mutt, didn’t you?” Preston said, scratching behind his ears again. “All right. Let’s take you into Sanctuary. Matsu should be in, and he can get you some food or something. And a towel, boy. You need to dry off.”

Matsu yipped, and as Preston turned, wheeling towards Sanctuary, the soaking wet wolf followed, tail wagging behind him as he went.

“Where does he even find these things?” Preston muttered. “Doesn’t seem to matter _what_ it is – I swear he just holds out his hand and it attracts you all to him.”

Matsu barked, trotting alongside the Minuteman. That was _kinda_ the case. Not always. But kinda.

They passed the bar, and nobody seemed surprised that there was a new animal in town. There were one or two comments about the ‘new dog,’ and Matsu gave the settlers a doggy smile, but nothing else came of it, and soon they were approaching his house.

Preston knocked on the door, and after a few moments of silence, he tried the handle. It was unlocked, of course.

“Matsu?” he called. “Hey, Matsu! Are you in?”

Obviously, there was silence. The wolf yipped. Preston pushed the door open, and stepped into the front room, looking it over. The lights were off, the room was cold, the weapon still lying on the workbench.

“And he’s gone, again,” Preston announced. “Sorry, boy. Looks like he’s not here right now. I guess he wouldn’t mind if I got you all fed, though. I mean, he never did before.”

Matsu pushed his nose into Preston’s leg, keening gently as he padded forward, as though examining the house. He pushed his muzzle into the pile of clothes on the chair.

“Oh, well, that explains it,” Preston said. “Okay. I’ll get you some food.”

Matsu took a seat as he watched Preston rifling through his cupboards in search of something to feed him with. As the smell of Deathclaw jerky filled the air, Matsu unwittingly let out an excited _whuff_ at the scent of the dried, salty meat.

“Okay, I guess that decides what you’re getting for dinner,” Preston laughed. “Hell, I can smell that. Smells pretty good, actually.”

He tossed the jerky to the wolf. Matsu caught it in his mouth and chowed down happily. He’d been saving that for a while, but hell, if Preston wanted to feed him, he was damn well going to let Preston feed him.

“That man needs to make a list of all the pets he adopts, with pictures and everything,” Preston said, as Matsu licked his muzzle. “Cause an actual wild animal could wander into Sanctuary and we wouldn’t know.”

That was a good point. Matsu whined, pressing his nose into Preston’s leg. The Minuteman scratched behind his ears again, and Matsu’s tail started wagging madly, tongue lolling out.

“Well, I guess I should get back to my patrol,” Preston decided. “This place isn’t going to defend itself.” He got up. “You staying here or coming with me?”

Matsu got up. Shame. He’d been enjoying the scritches. Still, maybe if he hung around with Preston, he’d get more. Hell, he didn’t know how long it was going to take him to come back from this form, and last time he’d slept on his bed like this, it’d ended up smelling so strongly of dog he’d kept the windows open for two days straight.

And Matsu loved dogs, obviously, but there was a limit as to how long he could spend with canine fur up his nose.

“Coming with me, huh?” Preston asked. “All right. Gotta make sure everyone knows you’re a friendly, anyway.”

Preston leaned down and scratched the top of his head again. Matsu’s eyes closed, head tilting back into the firm touches.

“I really _haven’t_ seen a dog like you before,” Preston said. “Damn, you’re a redhead! I didn’t realise dogs _came_ in that colour.”

Matsu barked. _Flatterer._

“Okay, now I have to get back to my post,” Preston insisted. “Stop distracting me, c’mon.”

Matsu yipped, grinning a doggy grin as the Minuteman straightened up. He pushed his nose into Preston’s leg again as the man stepped away, leaning out of the door and looking around.

“Still no sign of him,” Preston said. “I mean, I’m not worried. He does this. Wanders off and comes back again. He’ll be back when he’s ready.”

 _Or whenever this damn thing wears off_ , Matsu grumbled internally. The speed and the senses granted to him by the change were a welcome blessing. The shedding and the constant itch beneath his skin, however, not so much. Still, he had to take the good with the bad, and hell, if being in this body meant that Preston kept scratching him behind the ears like that, he might hang out in this shape _way_ more often.

“You want more jerky?” Preston asked. Matsu’s ears perked up, and the Minuteman went over to the cupboards, fetching some Brahmin this time. The wolf devoured it eagerly. Mirelurk jerky was an affront to his nose and he’d made sure to only eat it in emergencies. And this stuff had been cured so nicely…

Preston slung his rifle over his shoulder and scratched the back of Matsu’s neck. The wolf’s tail thumped against the floor. Garvey laughed, and Matsu felt his ears prickle. Damn the man! His laughter was beautiful.

“All right. Time to patrol. You definitely wanna come with? It’ll be real boring. At least, I kinda hope it will. I might not enjoy it if it’s interesting.”

Matsu nuzzled his leg again, and Preston nodded as though he’d said something important.

“C’mon then, you mutt.”

The Minuteman headed out of the door, musket in hand, and Matsu followed, tail wagging happily. Preston headed out towards the water’s edge on the south side, his feet swishing through the grass. Matsu padded after him, still licking jerky from his muzzle as a cool breeze ran through his damp fur. The smell of fresh water filled his nose as they got down to the old walls that ran along the river.

“Wonder if you’ll get a name,” Preston mused, looking out over the Commonwealth. “We could call you Rusty.”

Matsu made a dismissive noise. Preston nodded.

“Nah, you’re right. That’s cliched as hell.”

The wolf sat down at Preston’s feet, and rolled onto his belly, his paws in the air.

“You’re distracting me again!” Preston protested weakly, as he knelt to give Matsu’s exposed belly a good rub. The wolf’s tongue lolled out and he gave Preston a happy grin. The Minuteman sighed. “Dammit, pup. You better not get me in trouble ‘cause I couldn’t bear not to give you some love.”

Matsu barked happily. Until belly rubs stopped, he was staying this way.


End file.
